Flatiron-area condo façade crumbles, forcing tenants to evacuate

A group of Flatiron District residents last night were forced to evacuate, after parts of the building’s façade crumbled onto the street, the New York Post reported. There were no injuries reported. Department of Buildings records show that the façade of the O’Neill at 655 Sixth Avenue, was declared safe following a February inspection.

Pieces of the Elad-developed property’s pillars fell onto the street, amassing a five-foot pile. The building spans the block between 20th and 21st Streets, was a department store before it underwent a condominium conversion. The residents won’t be able to return home until today, at the very soonest.

The property has 49 residential units and totals 106,279 square feet, according to PropertyShark.

“It’s just an inconvenience on Christmas night,” Eva Laboz, a building resident, told the Post. [Post] —Zachary Kussin